1996 Nissan Sentra Service and Repair Manual

This factory manual for the 1996 Nissan Sentra is built around the exact 1.6L GA16DE four-cylinder and trim it covers, so the torque values, wiring routes and service intervals inside are the ones Nissan published for this specific car, not a generic Sentra-era approximation.

Engines covered

• 2.0L inline-four (122 cu in) — DOHC, naturally aspirated, gasoline
• 1.6L inline-four (97 cu in) — DOHC, naturally aspirated, gasoline

Body styles covered

• 4-door sedan

Trims covered

• Base
• GLE
• GSS
• GST
• GSX
• GXE
• XE

Known issues on the 1996 Sentra. Seven recalls are on federal record for this model year. Four cover aftermarket corner, bumper and headlight lamp assemblies sold as replacement lighting for this vehicle that lack the required amber side reflectors, leaving the car poorly illuminated and increasing crash risk without warning. Another covers front coil springs that may lack sufficient corrosion resistance in road-salt regions, where a broken spring exiting its lower seat could contact and puncture the tire. Another covers the windshield wiper linkage, where water displacing grease in the ball joint can wear the joint and eventually separate the linkage from the wiper motor, causing a loss of wiper function. The last covers tail lights that fail to meet federal illumination requirements, so following vehicles may not realize the car is stopping. Owners have filed 162 complaints for the year. The factory diagnostic and repair procedures behind each of those systems are here.

From tracing a lighting or wiper linkage fault to a front suspension inspection, it keeps you on the OEM procedure and the correct specification for your specific 1996 Sentra.